Hoisting crane



L. E. HUOT HOISTING CRANE Dec. 24, 1935.

Filed Dec. 28, 1934 3 SheetsSheet 1 In E. fin ot Attorney L. E. HUOT HOISTING CRANE Dec. 24, 1935.

Filed Dec. 28, 1954 s Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor A ltorney L. E. HUOT HOISTING CRANE Dec. 24, 1935.

1 Filed Dec. 28, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 I lnventor Attorney motive truck.

' and services in the logging operations.

Patented 24, 1935.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,025,284 nois'rmo. CRANE Edmond Huot, Newport, Wash. Application- December 28, 1934, Serial No. 759,543

'3 Claims. (01. 212-46) My present invention relates to an improved hoisting crane of the portable type, which, while adapted for various uses, is especially designed for use in logging operations, where the logs are picked out of the timber-area and loaded upon trucks, trailers, or other vehicles, for transportation purposes. In carrying out my invention I employ an automotive truck upon which the crane is mounted, and the portable implement is driven into the timber-area for loading operations. In most instances, thesurface of the ground is rough and irregular, and consequently, for efficient operations, means are provided. for leveling the vehicle or for erecting the boom with its axis of rotation in perpendicular position. I provide, in combination with the upright mast, a boom having upper and lower supports on the. mast, and means are provided. whereby the axis of rotation of the boom may be plumbed to per- I pendicular position, to compensate for irregularities on the ground surface on which the truck is standing. Means are also provided for retaining the hinged or pivoted mast, and its supportsforthe boom, after the adjustments have been made, and means are provided in combination with the hinged mast andits swivel-supported boom, to insure a maximum, available length of the hoisting or hauling cable, in order that remotely located, as well as closely located logs may be handled with facility from a single set-up.

Other means and devices are also employed to insure a loading rig of the portabletype, for handling logs with rapidity, facility, and accuracy, thus economizing in expenditure of time- The invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrangements of parts as will hereinafter be more fully set forth and claimed. In a, the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one complete example of the physical embodiment of my'invention wherein the parts are combined and arranged according to one mode I have thus far devisedfor the practical application of the principles of my invention.

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the portable crane, anchored to tree-stumps, and in position to haul, hoist, and deposit the logs in a waiting truckor other vehicle usually located at one side of the crane.

Figure 2 is a view in the mast,looking from elevation at the rear of the front of the auto- Figure 3' is a side elevation of the portable crane, with parts folded to position for transportation. a

' pendicular position,

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the crane, anchored to three tree-stumps, and in position to haul or drag logs from the front and left side of the crane.

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view at the lower, swiveled end of the boom, showing the travel of the haul or hoist cable past the swiveled joint between the boom and its mast.

Figure 6 is a top plan view of part of Figure 5, as at lines 6-6.

Figure '7 is a view in side elevation of the upright or perpendicular mast, the mast being cut through on line 1-1 of Figure 2 to illustrate parts in section.

Figure 8 is a detail sectional view at line 8-8 of Figure '1.

'In the general assembly views of Figures 1, 3, and 4, I have illustrated the portable crane mounted upon an automotive truck- A, which has the usual frame F, and is'equipped with a cross sill S mounted transversely of the frame F at the approximate center of weight of the vehicle. The hinged or pivoted mast M is mounted on the sill, and when in operative position, the mast is anchored to conveniently located tree stumps as T and T at. the front of the automotive truck, while the boom B, swiveled on the mast, is stayed against lateral swing to the left in Figure 4, by a tree-stump T i i The mast M, which is of A-shape, is hinged or pivoted on bolts l, of the vehicle A, and these bolts are housed or journaled in brackets or journal bearing blocks 2, 2, securely bolted on the top of the transverse Sill S.

I, extending transversely At its lower end,'but above the hinge joint, the

mast is provided with a beam 3 extending transequipped with angle iron edge-strips 4 for use as wear faces in combination with a laterally slidable carriage or saddle 5 upon which the boom is supported, and bymeans of which the alined axialsupports for the boom are plumbed to perwhen the vehicle A is not level. 4 The slide saddle or carriage is fashioned with guide flanges 6, 6, at the rear of the beam 3, for

the automotive truck, and above the sliding contact with the-wear plates 4, l, and as shown best in Figure5, the saddle extends across the top and bottom faces of the beam and also across the front face of the beam, the wear plates at the corners of the beam furnishing a rigid support for the slidable saddle.

The adjusting slide-saddle is moved laterally,

or transversely of the truck A, through the instrumentality of a traveling nut 1 that is rigidly bolted to the slide saddle. An adjusting screw bar 8 is journaled in bearings 9, and is threaded through the nut, a handle wheel l0 being mounted on one end of the bar for turning the latter, to feed the nut and saddle transversely of the vehicle, but longitudinally of the supporting beam 3.

On the front face of the adjusting saddle are rigidly mounted a pair of vertically alined bearing blocks H, H in which the upper and lower journal-ends of the swivel pin l2 are journaled, and this pin, which supports the boom in position to swing laterally in front of the mast, is fashioned with a fixed collar l3 that encircles the intermediate portion of the pin. A bearing yoke l4 rigid with the swivel pin and collar l3 projects forwardly of the pin, and a pair of spaced pivot-plates I 6, l 6, bolted at opposite sides of the end of the boom are located exterior of the yoke, so that a pivot bolt l5 may be passed through alined holes in the walls of the yoke and the two plates, in order to permit the boom to swing in a vertical plane with the bolt l5 as a center.

The hoist line i I, which is employed to drag or haul the logs, then hoist them, and finallyto drop or deposit them in a vehicle, in its travelsfis brought to the swivel joint between the boom and the mast, and from the free end of the boom this line or cable passes through a hole in the front of the yoke, thence under a. guide pulley IB journaled on the hinge bolt l5, thence upwardly 7 through a recess IS in the front portion of the swivel pin, and then upwardly through an axially alined guide hole 20 extending longitudinally of the pin from the recess to the upper end of the pin. Spaced at diametrically opposite points about the hole 20 are a pair of grooved guide pulleys 2|, 2| between which the hoist line I! passes. These two guide pulleys are journaled at 22, 22 in flanges of a plate 22 attached at the top of the slide, and forming a rigid part thereof, From the pair of guide pulleys 2| the hoist line [1, after passing under the swivel pulley l8, extends out along the boom and through a pulley 23 suspended at the free end of the boom, and a fastening hook 24 is provided at the end of the hoist line for securing to the chain usually wrapped around the log.

The winding end of the hoist line passes from the two guide pulleys, up the mast, and over a guide pulley 25 that is suspended by the swivel bolt 26 from the top of the mast, thence downwardly to the hoist Windlass or drum 21 mounted onthe frame F of the automotive truck, and provided with the usual control and operating means whereby the line is wound and permitted to unwind on and off the drum.

The free ends of the mast and boom are flexibly connected by means of a permanently coupled cable 28, attached to the mast at 23, and to the boom at 30.

For proper and eflicient operation of the crane,

it is necessary that the upper supporting point pensated for by sliding the saddle and swivelhead, transversely of the truck A, to plumb the By this zig-zag arrangement of the four reaches 5 of the hoist line I'La long stretch of the cable is available for use, and the reach from the outer pulley 23 to the book 24 may be drawn out to considerable length for attachment of the hook 24 to the chain of a log located a substantial dis- 1 tance from the crane. After the hauling. reach has been shortened by dragging the log toward the crane and winding the hoist line on the drum or Windlass, the log is hoisted from the ground, and then deposited in a waiting truck, trailer, or 1 other vehicle.

After the boom supports havebeen properly adjusted, the mast is guyed or braced with cables or guy lines 3| and 32 wound upon the reels 33,

33, one mounted at the outer side of each leg of 20 boom is provided in the use of a cable 35, which is wound on the reel 36 mounted on the boom B, near its swivel end, and the outer, free end of this guy may be fastened, as an anchor, to a tree stump T forward of the crane and to one side thereof. T form an anchoring means to limit the swing of the boom to the left in Figure 4, and to resist The guy 35 and tree stump 35 strains and stresses when a log is being dragged or hauled at the hook-end 24' of the hoist line in Figure 4.- The length of this guy cable may readily be adjusted by means of the reel, and the location of the anchor 'I may be selected as desired, the guy cable, which passes through guide pulley 31 at the free end of the boom, being payed out, or reeled in, as required.

The upright mastM is held in upright position in connection with an upright-frame 38, imposed on the top of the frame F of the automotive truck, and the mast is provided with a rigid cross-head 39, in the nature of a channel plate attached'at 6 its opposite ends to the legs of the mast. A stop bolt 40 is mounted, in horizontal position in the upright frame, just back of the cross-head 39 of the mast, and, the cross head contacts with the mast to the rear, beyond its upright position.

This stop bolt is adjustable with relation to the cross head and it slides in a housing 4| mounted on theupright frame. The bolt is fashioned with a rack-portion 40 and a hand-operated rack wheel 42 journaled in the housing, may be turned by the crank handle 43 to adjust the slide bolt with relation to the cross head.

Retaining chains 44 are coupled at each, end of the cross head 33 and are adapted to be ato tached by a link ator near their free ends, to hooks 4imounted on the upright frame for the purpose of holding the mast against the stop bolts 40 to prevent swinging of the mast in its hinges during the loading operations. Further, in cases where the truck is disposed upon an incline forward or backward a true vertical relationship between sheaves l3 and 25 may be maintained by adjusting the upper end of the mast forward or aft in. relation to the frame F 75 fulcrum pulley 25 whence it is hooked into grab hook 41 and then to the windlass 27. Power ap plied to Windlass 21 winds the line upon the drum,

shortening the amount of cable threaded over.

the pulley arrangement causing the mast to raise a suitable distance. Guy cable 28 is then connected with the free ends of the boom and mast so that continued turning of the Windlass will swing both the boom and mast to relative operative positions.

A bunk 48 is arranged transversely at the rear of the automotive truck A for support of the lowered mast and boom, and after the retaining chains 44 have been disconnected from hooks 46, the free end of the hoist line is looped around the boom adjacent collar 50 and the hoisting line is further engaged in grab hook 41 and the mast and boom may be lowered to the bunk by paying out the cable from the Windlass 21.

In Figure l a stay chain 49 is illustrated as attached at one end 50 to the boom, and at its other end the chain is attached at at to the frame F of the automotive truck, for the purpose of limiting the lateral swing of the boom on its swivel pin I2.

Thus it will be apparent that by means'of the adjustable stop bolt 40 and its ratchet or rack operating means, and the. chains 44, the mast may be swung to upright position in order that, as viewed in Figure 7, the axis of the pivot pin 82 and the swivel bolt 26 at the top of the mast, are vertically alined, with the reach of the hoist line H between these two points in a vertical plane, to insure proper longitudinal adjustment of the mast.

By means of the slide saddle or carriage upon which is mounted the pivot pin i2, the pivot end of the boom may be adjusted laterally to bring it into a perpendicular line with the swivel bolt 26 at the head of the mast.

In some instances it is desirable that the boom may be permitted to swing laterally, under action of gravity, thereby aidingin swinging an uplifted log, or in aiding in hauling a log across the ground. Thus, the slide saddle may be adjusted to one side of the perpendicular line of the swivel bolt 26 at the mast-head, causing a tendency to tilt on the part 'of the boom. Under these conditions the boom will naturally swing toward the side of the automotive truck opposite to that of the pivot pin i2 to assist in moving the loaded 5 boom. The unloaded boom, with its lighter weight, may then be swung back again to loading position. The natural swing of the boom, under these conditions, is controlled by the use of the stay chain 49 that couples the boom with the rear part of the truck, and the chain is adjustable for limiting the swing of the boom.

The usual control line (not shown) may be attached to the free end of the boom, and manipulated by a ground-man for swinging the boom units pivot.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure .by Letters Patent is:

l. The combination in a crane with an upright frame and a hinged mast, of a housing rigid with the mast, a rack bar mounted in a housing and a rack Wheel therefor, a cross-head on the mast for contact with the bar to limit rearward swing of the mast, and a chain connecting said cross head and frame to limit forward swing of the mast.

2. The combination in a portable crane, with its carrier and an upright frame rigid with the carrier, of a mast having a hinge supported on and extending transversely of the carrier, an adjustable stop mounted on the frame to limit rearward movement of the mast, a flexible coupling between the mast and the frame to limit forward movement of the mast, a boom having an adjustable pivotal support on the mast, means 36 for laterally adjusting said support between points at the opposite sides of the perpendicular center of the mast, and a cable connecting the free ends of the mast and boom.

3. The combination in a portable crane with 40 its carrier, of a mast having spaced alined hinges supported on the carrier and a transverse base member above the line of the hinges, a laterally adjustable saddle mounted on the base member between the hinges and means for adjusting the saddle, an upright swivel-pin having an opening therein and mounted at the front of the saddie, a pulley having a horizontal joumal-pin mounted at the front of the swivel-pin, a boom pivoted on the journal pin, a hoist line for the boom passing around. the pulley and through said opening, and a coupling cable attached at one end to the free end of the boom and attached at its other end to the mast.

LEO EDMOND HUOT. 

